Muscle spasms

I keep getting muscle spasms in my thumb and index finger of both hands when I'm trying to carry out tasks. This has caused me to chop off part of my finger because the spasm occurred when I was chopping carrots, but mostly I spill liquids when carrying drinks or scribble when writing. It's not all the time and doesn't bother me that much (I laugh it off). There's just this niggling thought that it might be due to my antipsychotic meds and might be permanent.

Does anyone know what this is called? I've tried reading about it and it doesn't sound like tardive dyskinesia to me, but this is my concern.

Thanks for any input

*Willow*

Talk to your pdoc...I had a hand motion where my hand was spontaneously opening wide an pdoc thought it might be TD but it went away after a week. It can manifest in different ways. Did this happen after a medication change? Mine happened getting off seroquel too quickly.

I've had similar problems. My pdoc added cogentin to my meds and they stopped.

I didn't say how long it's been going on because I wanted to hear what people thought, but it's been occurring since I started antipsychotics. I've been on 3 APs and I've had this hand spasm on all of them. I can't remember if it was there when I was off meds.

Since taking my first antidepressant 6 years ago I've had a tremor both on and off meds, which I'm assuming is permanent now. I'm guessing this is too...

I'll ask pdoc but he ignored me when I told him about the tremors in my legs that I got first time I took aripiprazole/Abilify, so I fear he will fob me off again with this. It doesn't bother me much but I would like to know what is causing it.

*Willow*

I experience what I think are probably muscle spasms. They're a problem that I was having on and off before I started taking Abilify six years ago. Now that I take Abilify, I've been having what I think are probably muscle spasms more regularly, although they're not intolerable. From what I understand, there seems to be at least some thinking that antipsychotic use might at least be associated with muscle spasms, although I don't know how common of a side effect this is with the medications.

You might be interested in knowing that muscle spasms are listed as a symptom of vitamin D deficiency. It's my understanding that there are some studies that have found that vitamin D levels tend to be lower than normal in individuals with schizophrenia, and it's been noted that deficient or insufficient vitamin D levels might at least partially explain why schizophrenia is more common in those who live in urban areas than in those who live in rural areas, and it might also at least partially explain why those born in the winter or spring are more likely to develop schizophrenia than those born in the summer or fall. So, given the possible connection between schizophrenia and low vitamin D levels and the fact that muscle spasms are listed as a symptom of vitamin D deficiency, you might want to get your doctor's take on what connection there might be between vitamin D and both your muscle spasms and your psychiatric illness.

I should probably also note that when I had my vitamin D level checked, it came back as insufficient. I've been taking a vitamin D supplement for a little more than a month, and I haven't noticed any improvement in my muscle spasms (if that's the correct term for what I'm experiencing), and my psychotic symptoms are actually probably a little bit worse. The vitamin D does seem to help with my fatigue, hypersomnia, and difficulty concentrating, though.

T.

Oh no, Willow, this worries me you've had this going on for so long. I knew a person a few years ago with TD. It can become permanent even if you stop the medication, which is what happened to him. He was in a wheel chair from how it manifested. You should talk to your pdoc right away.

I'm not exactly convinced this is TD. Maybe it's me minimising everything as usual, but tardive means late onset and this has been going on as long as I've taken APs, so it's not the typical late onset uncontrollable and repetitive mouth movements we were taught about when doing psych...IDK.

I will ask pdoc but don't see him til the beginning of October, but after so long another 3 weeks can't hurt.

I will also look into increasing my sun exposure though for vitamin D. Mum's always nagging me to get out in the fresh air anyway

*Willow*

I think he will take this seriously as it really interferes with your life. You can't keep chopping off your finger parts when preparing food.

@Likewater: Yeah I will definitely mention that bit cos that was pretty dangerous. I haven't done it since mainly through luck and the fact that I've pretty much stopped cooking.

@Tomatheus: Today I bought some vitamins that include vitamin D3 because I read that was better for you than D2. So maybe that will help.

*Willow*

Thanks for the update, and I wish you luck with the vitamins. If you're interested, you could also ask your doctor if he'd be willing to order a vitamin D blood test, so you'll know if your level of the vitamin is deficient or insufficient (or in the normal range). As I said in my earlier post, supplementing with vitamin D (and I'm taking the D3 version) hasn't seemed to have affected the muscle spasms that I think I'm experiencing, so although I think it's possible that you might notice a difference from taking the vitamin supplement that you bought, I think that it would be hard to say how effective it might be. I mean, yes, muscle spasms are listed as a symptom of vitamin D deficiency, and low vitamin D levels might play a role in schizophrenia, but there could be other factors involved, which is why I think that talking to your doctor about these muscle spasms would be beneficial. Having said that, I think that getting more sunshine and taking a vitamin supplement that probably contains somewhere around the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin D(3) probably shouldn't hurt. And maybe it will do some good. So again, I do wish you luck.

T.

Good luck, Willow. My Dr rxd vitamin D , you take it once a week. It's a gelcap. They had done a bloodtest.

I don't really want to go to my GP unless pdoc says I have to. My GP is nice but I worry that she'll get fed up of me if I go too often, and/or think I'm a hypochondriac. I don't really need a blood test I don't think, nor do I think that vitamin D supplementation will necessarily take the hand spasms away. I was intending to get some vitamins though anyway cos my diet isn't brilliant, and they can't hurt, so I may as well get ones with vitamin D3 in as well.

I will let you guys know what pdoc says when I see him in 2 weeks.

Thanks for all the replies

*Willow*